The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-05-05
SHAM HYSTERIA.
Some Skilled Opinion Bearing
Upon the Curious Case of Carrie

Some Skilled Opinion Bearing
Upon the Curious Case Of Carrie
Gilchrfst
Stimulated hysteria? Sham hys-
teria?" said a prominent physician,
repeating the questions to a reporter.
''Is such a thing possible? Why, yes.
Hysleria is half sham, any way. Some
times a hysterical subject will have
hysteria and she can't help it; but
usually half her symptoms she shams.
or at least exaggerates. And it is hard
10 tell what is sham and what isn't"
A physician who is considered au-
thority on nervous diseases, when asked
the ability of any woman to deliber-
ately deceive even an ambulance sur
geon b. feigning hysteria. He knew
of no such cases in medical literature.
ut is extremely difficult" said
another physician, Ito tell sometimes
where hysteria is simulated and where
it is not There is always more or less
stimulation" Flint says that there is
tendency to exaggerate symptoms Of
disease. 1t proceeds sometimes from
an exaggerated sense of existing symp-
toms and sometimes from morbid de-
sire to excite interest or sympathy.
1t is an important part of the knowl-
edge and tact of the practitioner to
make due allowance for this tendencv.
In some cases a morbid perversion of
the III. nd leads patients to undertake to
practice gross frauds as regards their
ailments. They pretend to have ex-
traordinary disorders. and resort to in
genious efforts at deception. Hysteri-
cal malingering is not unfrequently
mixed with hysterical self-deceptien, !
The explanation which most of the
physicians consulted gave of acts of
Carrie Gilchrist was something like
this:
There have been several we'll -authen-
Gated cases in which it was found that
the patients could. at their will, throw
themselves into fits of hysteria. This
could be done in different ways. One
girl would ALWAYS 90 into hysteria
when she thought of certain subject.
another by eating certain food, another
seemed to have the ability to mes
merize herself, to throw herself into a
trance and keep herself in it. 1t is
probable that Carrie Gilchrist is one of
this class of malingerees. By thinking
about some event in her life, perhaps
she can throw herself into hysteria
Once in. she is in state to keep up the
deception, unless frightened out in
some way.
Not long ago woman in Mysteries
was brought into a Brooklyn hospital.
She was laid on cot, and she immedi-
ately Topped out on to the floor. The
| doctors set her up in chair, and she
| tumbled out again and again, humping
her head and whacking her arms on
the floor as if nothing could hurt her.
One of the doctors stepped up to her
and began slapping her face on either
side with his hands as hard as he could.
After two or three slaps the girl Jump
ed up and threatened to report the doc
tor for his cruelty. picked up her hat
and walked out with no more hysteria
than there is in calm. Hysteria is
often a strike for sympathy. This girl
got the reverse. To some extent she
must have been Stimulating, vet it
was genuine case of hysteria.
While sympathy is always sweet to
the hysterical person the idea of going
into fits for pecuniary benefit is decided
~ new. For such uses the ability to
throw ones self into Mysteries at the
proper time is of great value. .-Neu
| York SAM